1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a managing system for reproducing information including information recording medium, managing medium, and, a reproduction method and an apparatus therefor, and particularly relates to preventing information from illegal duplication or copy and to improving utilization technology of information contained in a medium.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a disc package medium such as a CD, all program information contained in a disc is disclosed to an owner of the disc, that is, the owner of the disc can utilize all program information contained in the disc when the owner possesses the disc. A price of a disc is generally determined in consideration of all the information contained in the disc, therefore a consumer pays such a price for purchasing the disc in the current distribution system, in other word, a consumer pays a virtually fixed price for a xe2x80x9cpossessionxe2x80x9d of the information contained in the disc.
There provided a rental business of package medium such as a CD so as to utilize information by renting a CD for a limited period. A rental fee is determined in the above mentioned distribution system based on the initial purchasing price of the package medium and a rental term. The rental fee is also determined for all information contained in the disc. In case of a rental business, a rental fee par one package medium is determined at a rather high price since the fee is calculated from an assumption that the information contained in one package medium are fully utilized by many users. Therefore, an initial purchasing price of a package medium is very expensive at a rental shop so that a rental fee determined from the initial purchasing price becomes high.
On the other hand, a disc itself can be manufactured at an extremely low cost. Therefore, the price paid for a disc is substantially equal to a value for quality and quantity of information contained in the disc. In the current distribution system as such that a consumer pays a certain price for a xe2x80x9cpossessionxe2x80x9d of information, the consumer is obliged to pay a total cost of the information contained in the disc although the consumer does not want all of such information. In other words, manufacturers of discs are obliged to manufacture a wide variety of discs in their contents to meet a wide variety of demands by consumers so as to meet a reasonable price for quality and quantity of information. The above mentioned distribution system is not only unfavorable to the consumers but also increases cost and complexity of distribution for manufacturers.
In contrast with the above mentioned distribution system, a so called xe2x80x9csuper distribution systemxe2x80x9d is conceivable. The xe2x80x9csuper distribution systemxe2x80x9d is a system in which xe2x80x9cutilizationxe2x80x9d of information not for a xe2x80x9cpossessionxe2x80x9d of information is paid. According to the xe2x80x9csuper distribution systemxe2x80x9d, a consumer just pays for the utilized information. The unfavorable deal in the above mentioned distribution system with a xe2x80x9cpossessionxe2x80x9d of information being paid for is dissolved by the xe2x80x9csuper distribution systemxe2x80x9d and it is considered to be a more rational system. In the xe2x80x9csuper distribution systemxe2x80x9d, a utilization state of program information and information of limitation of the utilization are transmitted to a managing system through a communication network.
In FIG. 1, an example of such xe2x80x9csuper distribution systemxe2x80x9d is depicted. The xe2x80x9csuper distribution systemxe2x80x9d 901 utilizes a DVD (Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc) in FIG. 1. A software supplier 900 supplies a DVD disc 902 at a low price as indicated by an arrow FA, wherein information recorded in the DVD disc 902 which is adapted to the xe2x80x9csuper distribution systemxe2x80x9d 901 are ciphered. The software supplier 900 includes retailers and credit card issuing companies. On the other hand, a DVD player 904 which is designed for the xe2x80x9csuper distribution systemxe2x80x9d 901 is equipped with an IC (Integrated Circuit) card slot 908 to be loaded with an IC card 906 and a communication port 912 for connecting a telephone line 910. In the IC card 906, data of credited amount for reproducing information are prestored and the data are amended at each time when the information are reproduced so as to deduct the credited amount. The communication port 912 is connected to a host computer of the software supplier 900 through the telephone line 910, wherein data of reproduction fees of DVD discs are collected as indicated by an arrow FB and data of a revised credited amount responsive to the reproduction is newly set in the IC card 906 as indicated by an arrow FC. The software supplier 900 will charge to the user in accordance with the collected data of reproduction fees of DVD discs. In addition thereto, in a regular distribution system 920, the software supplier 900 supplies a regular type DVD disc 914 as indicated by an arrow FD and collects a fee for the sold DVD disc 914 as indicated by an arrow FE.
In the xe2x80x9csuper distribution systemxe2x80x9d, an amount of actually utilized information out of total information contained in a package medium such as a DVD disc is accurately obtained and reproduction fee of the disc can be surely collected. The disc 902 can be sold without adding an estimated cost for full utilization of the information like the aforementioned rental fee. Therefore, an initial purchasing cost of the disc 902 for the user becomes very low since a disc itself is manufactured at an extremely low cost. In addition thereto, a reasonable charging system, which is fair to and is understandable for a user, can be realized so that the user is charged depending on a volume of actually utilized information. Information not reproduced are not charged to the user even in the middle of its reproduction. For example, the user may interrupt the reproduction of the information in the middle when the user finds the content of the information not satisfactory, the interrupted information is not charged to the user.
However, such a xe2x80x9csuper distribution systemxe2x80x9d involves a large-scale data transmission and computing system since a utilization state of the content of information and the information for limiting a utilization of the content of information and the like are required to be exchanged through a communication network. Furthermore, in the conceivable xe2x80x9csuper distribution systemxe2x80x9d, there is not provided a definite criteria for indicating amount of utilization of information, procedure or method of knowing volume of utilized information.
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a managing system of charging reproduction fee in response to a utilized degree of information without any large-scale network when information contained in recording mediums, especially in discs are reproduced. Another object of the present invention is to prevent information from illegal utilization of reproduction or to prevent recording mediums from counterfeit manufacturing.
In order to achieve the above objects, the present invention provides, according to an aspect thereof, a managing system for reproducing information which comprises information recording medium recorded with software information to be reproduced and a reproduction managing information inherent to the recording medium and necessary to manage reproduction of the software information. The managing system for reproducing information further comprises a managing medium recorded with a reproduction permitting information for reproducing the software information, a reproduction device for reproducing the software information, a first readout device for reading out the reproduction managing information, a second readout device for reading out the reproduction permitting information, a reproduction judging device for judging whether reproduction of the software information is permitted or not in conjunction with the reproduction managing information read out by the first readout device and the reproduction permitting information read out by the second readout device, a detecting device of utilization information for detecting a utilization state of the software information as a software utilization information in the reproduction device, and a writing device for writing the software utilization information detected by the detecting device of utilization information into the managing medium.
According to a main configuration of the present invention, reproduction time information of the software information, a number of divided sections of the reproduced software information, a number of judging points at where reproduction of the software information is judged, and a charging information calculated from a degree of software utilization, are defined as the software utilization information. Other configurations provide an indicating device for indicating an amount of reproduction fee to be charged, which is calculated from the charging information. The other configurations further provide a disc as the information recording medium, in which the reproduction managing information is recorded in lower recording density than that of the software information.
According to one aspect of the present invention, a new information recording medium is provided. The information recording medium is utilized for a managing system for reproducing information, wherein a reproduction managing information needed to manage reproduction of a software information to be reproduced and a reproduction permitting information are read out from the medium, and wherein the software information is reproduced after judging whether the reproduction of the software information is permitted or not and then a utilization state of the software information is detected. Further, the information recording medium is recorded with the software information and the reproduction managing information.
According to another aspect of the present invention, a managing medium is provided. The managing medium is utilized for a managing system for reproducing information, wherein a reproduction managing information necessary to manage reproduction of software information to be reproduced and a reproduction permitting information are read out from the medium, and wherein the software information is reproduced after judging whether the reproduction of the software information is permitted or not and then a utilization state of the software information is detected. Further, the managing medium is recorded with the reproduction permitting information and the software utilization information.
According to another aspect of the present invention, a reproduction apparatus is provided. The reproduction apparatus is utilized for a managing system for reproducing information. In the managing system for reproducing information, a reproduction managing information is read out from an information recording medium wherein the information recording medium is recorded with software information to be reproduced and the reproduction managing information necessary to manage reproduction of the software information and inherent to the information recording medium, and wherein a reproduction permitting information is read out from a managing medium recorded with the reproduction permitting information which is necessary to reproduce the software information, the software information is reproduced after judging whether the reproduction of the software information is permitted or not, and a utilization state of the software information is detected, then the utilization state of the software information is recorded in the managing medium. The reproduction apparatus comprises a reproduction device for reproducing the software information, a first readout device for reading out the reproduction managing information from the information recording medium, a second readout device for reading out the reproduction permitting information from the managing medium, a reproduction judging device for judging whether the reproduction of the software information is permitted or not in the reproduction device in response to the reproduction managing information read out by the first readout device and the reproduction permitting information read out by the second readout device, a detection device of utilization information for detecting a utilization state of the software information in the reproduction device as the software utilization information, and a writing device for writing the software utilization information detected by the detection device of utilization information into the managing medium.
In more specific aspect of the present invention, there provided a reproduction method that is utilized for a managing system for reproducing information. In the managing system for reproducing information, a reproduction managing information is read out from an information recording medium wherein the information recording medium is recorded with a software information to be reproduced and the reproduction managing information which is necessary to manage reproduction of the software information and is inherent to the information recording medium, a reproduction permitting information is read out from a managing medium wherein the managing medium is recorded with the reproduction permitting information which is necessary to reproduce the software information, the software information is reproduced after judging whether the reproduction of the software information is permitted or not, a utilization state of the software information is detected, and then the utilization state of the software information is recorded in the managing medium. The reproduction method comprises a first readout step of reading out the reproduction managing information from the information recording medium, a second readout step of reading out the reproduction permitting information from the managing medium, a reproduction judging step of judging whether the reproduction of the software information is permitted or not in the reproduction step in response to the reproduction managing information read out in the first readout step and the reproduction permitting information read out in the second readout step, a reproduction step of reproducing the software information from the package medium, a detection step of detecting a utilization state of the software information as the software utilization information, and a writing step of writing the software utilization information into the managing medium.
In addition thereto, in the information recording medium, or in the managing medium, or in the reproduction apparatus, or in the reproduction method mentioned above is a reproduction time information of the software information. Further, in the information recording medium, or in the managing medium, or in the reproduction apparatus, or in the reproduction method mentioned above, the software information in the information recording medium is divided into plural sections and the software utilization information is a number of the divided sections. Furthermore, in the information recording medium, or in the managing medium, or in the reproduction apparatus, or in the reproduction method mentioned above, the software information is provided with a plurality of judging points for judging a reproduction and the software utilization information is a number of judging points for judging the reproduction. Moreover, in the information recording medium, or in the managing medium, or in the reproduction apparatus, or in the reproduction method mentioned above, the software utilization information is a charging information of reproduction fee, which is calculated in response to the software utilization information. An indicating device is provided in the reproduction apparatus for indicating an amount of reproduction fee to be charged to a user in accordance with the charging information recorded in the managing medium. The managing medium is an IC card. In addition thereto, the information recording medium and the managing medium utilized in the reproduction apparatus and the reproduction method mentioned above are a disc and an IC card respectively.
Other objects and further features of the present invention will be apparent from the following detailed description with respect to the preferred embodiment of the present invention when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.